A week after United States and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered the largest aviation shutdown the Middle East has ever seen, the region’s skies remain largely closed to commercial traffic, with recovery uneven, slow, and fragile across the countries affected.
More than 12,000 flights were cancelled across the Middle East in the days following the launch of combat operations on 28 February 2026, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded around the world. As of Friday evening, 6 March, here is where each country stands.
United Arab Emirates: The furthest along in recovery. Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport were both struck by Iranian missiles during the weekend of the initial conflict, but UAE airports have been gradually restoring commercial operations under a restricted air corridor system. Emirates plans to operate 106 daily return flights to 83 destinations by Saturday, covering nearly 60 percent of its global network, with a full return expected within days. Etihad Airways resumed limited Abu Dhabi flights on Friday. Flydubai and Air Arabia have also restarted restricted services.
Qatar: Hamad International Airport remains fully suspended. Qatar Airways began operating a limited number of relief flights from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to assist stranded passengers, but scheduled commercial operations from Doha have not resumed. An update from Qatari authorities is expected Saturday morning local time.
Israel: Ben Gurion Airport will restart departing flights from 8 a.m. local time on Sunday, 8 March, initially limited to narrow-body aircraft carrying a maximum of 50 passengers per flight. Incoming flights on Israeli carriers resumed on a restricted basis from 4 March.
Iran: Tehran’s airspace remains closed with no announced timeline for resumption.
Iraq: The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority extended its airspace closure for a further 72 hours from 4 March, covering arrivals, departures, and transit traffic through 7 March. No update on further extension has been confirmed.
Bahrain: Bahrain International Airport and Gulf Air remain suspended pending official confirmation that Bahraini airspace has safely reopened.
Kuwait: Kuwait International Airport remains shut. Kuwait Airways announced limited repatriation flights for Kuwaiti nationals transiting via Saudi Arabia from select European cities, but normal commercial operations are not yet restored.
Saudi Arabia: The least disrupted major Gulf hub. King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, and King Fahd International Airport in Dammam have continued operating. Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) cancelled regional routes to several neighbouring destinations through 6 March but has kept most long-haul services running.
Türkiye: Turkish carriers including Turkish Airlines, Pegasus, AJet, and SunExpress have suspended flights to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan through 9 March. Pegasus has removed Iran from its schedule through 12 March, and Turkish Airlines through 20 March.
Syria and Lebanon: Syria has partially reopened northern routes toward Türkiye, with a Syrian Airlines flight from Aleppo to Istanbul completing a safe round trip. Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) continues operating on schedule, though most foreign carriers serving Beirut remain suspended.
The broader impact extends beyond passengers. Airspace remains closed or heavily restricted across the UAE, Qatar, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain, significantly affecting global airfreight, while the simultaneous closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab El-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea has compounded shipping disruption.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) extended its conflict zone information bulletin on 6 March to cover all altitudes across the airspace of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, advising operators not to fly within these zones due to the ongoing risk from missiles, air defence systems, and interception activity. The bulletin is valid through 11 March.
Aviation experts have warned that even a gradual reopening will take weeks to fully resolve, as displaced aircraft and stranded crews must be repositioned before normal scheduling can resume. Passengers with travel to or through the region are urged to check directly with their airline before proceeding to any airport.
